| Ruling on impugning lineage and wailing over the dead  | | (Part No. 9; Page No. 340) | |
His Eminence Shaykh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz the Grand Mufty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Departments of Scholarly Research and Ifta', was asked about the meaning of the Hadith,  "Two (practices) of people are tantamount to Kufr (disbelief); (they are) impugning lineage and wailing over the dead." What is the exact meaning of Kufr in this Hadith? His Eminence gave the following answer: This is Hadith Sahih (authentic Hadith) related by Muslim in his Sahih book of authentic Hadith on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).Further, His Eminence explained impugning lineage as defaming and criticizing people's lineage with the aim of despising and dispraising them.If mentioning the lineage is for some goodness such as saying so-and-so descends from the tribe of Banu Tamim whose qualities are such-and-such, or from Qahtan, Quraysh or Banu Hashim whose qualities are such-and-such, without defaming them, this is not considered as impugning lineage.As for wailing over the dead, it refers to crying loudly over the dead and this is prohibited.His Eminence Shaykh Ibn Baz showed that Kufr in this context is a lesser degree of absolute Kufr that renders one outside the fold of Islam. For example, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Verily, between a servant and Shirk and Kufr is the negligence of prayer." (Related by Muslim in | | (Part No. 9; Page No. 341) | |
his Sahih). This is a major Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) according to the most authentic opinion of scholars. Muslim scholars have divided Kufr, Zhulm (injustice) and Fisq (flagrant violation of Islamic law) each into two types.Similarly, there are two types of Shirk; major and minor Shirk. Examples of major Shirk are supplicating to, seeking the help of, and vowing to the dead, idols, trees, rocks and planets. Minor Shirk can be seen in statements like "Were it not for Allah and so-and-so..." and "If Allah and so-and-so will". The proper way of saying these statements would be "Were it not for Allah then so-and-so..." and "If Allah wills and then so-and-so wills".Moreover, swearing by other than Allah (Exalted be He) falls also under minor Shirk, such as swearing by the Prophet (peace be upon him), the life of someone, or the Faith.His Eminence the Grand Mufty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia added that Riya' (showing-off) is another example of minor Shirk such as seeking Allah's Forgiveness or reciting Qur'an loudly so that people may hear.Moreover, there are two types of Zulm: First is major Zulm which is Shirk. Allah (Exalted be He) says:  And it is the disbelievers who are the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers). He (Glorified be He) also says: It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping others besides Allâh), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided.The other type is minor Zulm. Shaykh Ibn Baz says it is apparent in people doing each other wrong in regard to their blood and property. A servant can do himself wrong by committing sins such as Zina (sexual intercourse outside marriage), consuming intoxicants and the like. We seek Allah's Refuge from these evils. |
|